Pokemon ABC
by echoinglegends
Summary: Adeline, Beck, and Cedric are about to embark on their Pokémon Journey. Cedric and Beck have been waiting and preparing their whole lives for this moment. Adeline wishes to tag along with the duo and put her Pokémon studies to use. However, things might not go according to plan. This is not your traditional Pokémon story. There will be a lot of twists and turns along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Cedric's eyes flew open. 'Today is the day.' He thought. As he lay there, a million doubts flew through his mind, although 'Which one?' was his main thought. Even though he already decided which one he was choosing, he still couldn't help wondering if it was the right choice. He sat up and picked the brochure off his nightstand. It read, "Start your adventure today!" I got this in the mail three weeks ago. They send them to all the twelve year olds in the region, but only just a few show up. Cedric's lucky to live so close. He stood up and went over to the window and saw the familiar sight of Cherrygrove City. He looked down and saw a girl about his age picking the petals off a flower and staring at his window. Cedric quickly backed away out of her view. Just then, the door burst open.

"CEDRIC!" Beck shouted, with a huge grin on his face. "Today's the day!" Cedric returned his grin. Beck had been Cedric's best friend since they were babies. Cedric quickly pulled on a hoodie and ran down stairs, with Beck at his heels.

"Bye, Mom!" Cedric called, "I'm going on an adventure!" They sprinted out the door and Cedric stopped short. The girl who was staring at his window earlier was standing in their path. Beck stood between Cedric and the girl, an impish grin on his face.

"Cedric, this is Adeline! She's starting her adventure today too!" Adeline smiled at him. She had auburn hair in a fancy ponytail that was tied with ribbons, which hung down from her hair. She had unnerving golden eyes that seemed to dig into Cedric's skull. Cedric shifted uncomfortably.

"Hi!" Adeline said cheerfully and Cedric smiled back uneasily.

"Hi." He said cautiously. Beck was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Come on! Let's go! It's, like, a 20 minute walk to New Bark Town!" Cedric grinned. "Or like a 10 minute run!" With that he took off, with Beck at his heels again.

"Cedric! Hold on!" It was his mom.

"Bye, Mom! I'll see you soon!" He called back.

"Wait!" She yelled at him, but he was already running down the block. Cedric and Beck ran through the city, passing the red roofed houses they knew so well. They passed their old schoolhouse. Cedric looked upon the school playground. The small children playing with each other gave him a pang of nostalgia. They passed the houses of their classmates. With Cedric and Beck being the youngest in their class, all the others received their license and started their journey; some claiming starter Pokémon from the Professor or going off before the ceremony to become Bug Catchers or Pokécollectors. They passed the house of the old man that taught them how to catch Pokémon. Of course they weren't allowed to own any until they got their license from the Professor, which they were doing today. The thought brought him out of the past with a twist of excitement. They slowed at the city limits to catch their breath. As they set foot on route 29, they heard,

"Hey! Wait up!" Cedric turned to see Adeline running up to them, panting. "You… guys… need to… slow down." She sat down on a log.

"So… why are you following us?" Cedric asked.

"I'm from New Bark Town, but Professor Elm wanted me to make sure that you two got there on time." She straightened with pride. "I'm starting my journey today too in case you weren't paying attention." Cedric sighed. He wanted to share this day with his best friend, but now this girl had to barge in and ruin their perfect day. 'I guess I might as well try to befriend her.' Beck looked ahead.

"We still have a long ways to go." He looked to Adeline. "So me and Cedric already pick our first Pokémon. What are you going to pick?" Adeline looked embarrassed.

"Well, that's the thing. I haven't decided yet." She blushed a bit. "I guess I'll just have whatever's left over." Beck smirked.

"Well I'm getting Totodile!" Cedric smiled to at the thought of his chosen first.

"I'm going to get Cyndaquil." He looked at Adeline. "I'm sure whichever you get, you'll be happy!" Adeline smiled back at his encouragement.

"So Adeline" Beck began, "Have you lived in New Bark Town your whole life?" Adeline's eyes grew a bit distant.

"No. I used to live in Kalos when I was little." Her smile widened. "It was so majestic there." Her eyes widened with excitement. "I lived in Laverre City and I was there during 10/12!" Both Cedric's and Beck's eyes grew wide.

"No way!" They both exclaimed. "Did you see the Ultimate Machine?! Did you see the legendaries? What about the Champion? Were you at the parade?!" Questions flowed out of the two boys. The incident that occurred six years ago intrigued them. Adeline looked like she was regretting telling them about her being in Kalos when Team Flare tried to destroy the world.

"Enough!" She yelled. The boys quieted down. "Geez people. I was there. I saw the Champion come by now and then. I saw the beam from the Ultimate Machine" She took a breath. "That's pretty much it." They kept walking.

"Did you see the Champion challenge the leader of the city's gym?" Adeline sighed in exasperation.

"Yes." Cedric looked at her closely. He was much more interested about this girl now. "Was it cool?" Adeline gave him a sarcastic look.

"I didn't actually see the battle."

"Oh." They walked on in silence.

"So why'd you move here?" It was Beck that broke the tension. Now both boys were itching to learn more about the girl from Kalos.

"My parents thought it was best for me. After 10/12, they said it wasn't safe for me over there." Her head sank into her shoulders a little. "They sent me away and they stayed behind because their jobs were vital to the reconstruction of Kalos." She gave a heavy sigh. "It's not too bad. I get to visit them every year for a couple months." A thought popped into Cedric's head and he blurted it out before he could think.

"Do you think next time you go visit your parents we could come with you?" Adeline seemed surprised at the question.

"I… I don't know. I guess so." She looked up with a determined gleam in her eyes. She ran ahead and started walking backwards, looking at the boys.

"Yeah! That would be so much fun! Since we'd be Pokémon trainers, we'd be able to catch all sorts of new Kalos Pokémon!" She stopped and fell into pace again. "But I'm not going to visit them until seven months from now…" Beck smiled.

"That's alright! We'll be traveling together for a while, right?" Adeline smiled even wider.

"Really?! You mean that?" Cedric's face contorted.

"Yeah, you really mean that?" Cedric and Beck had been planning their adventure their whole life. He didn't want some girl to mess that up.

"Sure! Why not? We've already bonded, right?" Beck and Adeline looked at Cedric innocently, waiting for him to approve. Cedric looked at Beck with a disapproving frown, then to Adeline. He sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. Come if you want." He looked Adeline straight in her unnerving eyes. "But don't think it's going to be easy with us! We're going to climb mountains and swim huge lakes. Encounter monstrous Pokémon and become the Champion!" Adeline jumped onto a stump pumping her fist and whooped.

"Yeah! Adventure! Victory! Honor!" A pair of Bug Catchers walked past.

"What a weirdo." They said to themselves. One of them called up to Adeline, "Hey, weirdo! Let's battle!" Adeline turned around in surprise.

"What? Me?" She said, pointing to herself.

"No, the other guy on the stump. Of course you!" The Bug Catchers high-fived. "Nice one, Colby." Adeline blushed red.

"Well, you see, I don't have a Pokémon. I mean I will, but not now. But we're going to get ours so…" Colby the Bug Catcher crossed his arms impatiently.

"Psht. Don't have a Pokémon. You could've just said so. C'mon, Sam, let's ditch this weirdo." They trotted away snickering and saying "What a loser." Adeline stared after them, flushing red.

"Well that was awkward." Cedric mumbled.

"THE NERVE OF THOSE GUYS!" Adeline stormed past Beck and Cedric. "When I get my Pokémon I'm going TO CRUSH THEM!" Cedric and Beck followed Adeline down the path, making sure to keep a safe distance from the tall grass and the raging girl. They walked in silence until Adeline calmed down. "We're about 3 minutes from New Bark Town." Adeline informed the boys. They jumped down from the ledge and walked along a fence. Cedric climbed on the fence border lining the tall grass and walked along it, keeping up with the group. "You have really good balance, Cedric!" Adeline exclaimed.

"Stop showing off." Beck said. He walked over to the fence and look up at Cedric. Only too late did Cedric see Beck's mischievous smirk. Cedric fell in the grass with a *thump*. He could hear Beck and Adeline laughing at their prank. Cedric started chuckling too until he sat up and saw the Sentret he had fallen on. It whimpered as Cedric gently touched it. Feeling bad about hurting it, he gingerly picked it up. There should be a healing center at the Professor's Lab.

"Hey guys!" Cedric called. "I accidently hurt this Sentret! Could you give me a hand?" He handed the hurt Pokémon to Adeline.

"Aw. Poor little Sentret." Beck gave Cedric a boost onto the fence. He started climbing up the fence when he heard a low growl. Turning his head, Cedric saw a Furret. Most likely the hurt Sentret's mother. Her fur was standing on its end.

"Ah… Sorry Ms. Furret, but I need to get your kid to the hospital." Cedric was trying to keep calm. The Furret sprang at him and lashed out with its claws. Cedric's pants shredded and his skin ripped, spraying blood on the ground. Cedric cried out.

"CEDRIC!" Came a cry on the other side of the fence. The Furret bit down on Cedric's arm. Cedric's hoodie muffled the bite, but he felt nauseated as he saw his blood seep from the Furret's mouth. He was flailing and screaming, trying to get the Pokémon off of him. Ages past until he heard a rustle in the grass. A gigantic bird flew up into the sky and dove at Cedric. The bird's grey form tore the Furret from Cedric's arm. He fell to the ground as he saw the bird battling the Furret. Through his blurry vision the bird throw the Furret out of sight. Around him, he saw a green aura that soothed his mind. The last thing he saw was a pair of golden, soul-piercing eyes.

Cedric awoke, looking up at the sky. Around him was chaos. A man in a lab coat was wrapping his arm in a bandage. An Officer was on her Pokégear talking sternly and quickly. There were townspeople scattered around his asking questions and making a big deal of noise.

"Cedric!" Adeline crouched into Cedric's line of sight. She had tear-streaked cheeks and puffy red eyes. "I thought for a moment that you were-." She sobbed. "Beck's moping in the Lab. Since he pulled that prank, he thinks it's he blames himself for this happening." The medics moved Cedric into a temporary recovery bed in Professor Elm's Lab upon his request. He was actually feeling a lot better than he should have. The medics said that there was a lot of bleeding, but most of his wounds were on the surface. "If there was any internal damage," he heard them say, "He would be gravely injured or worse." A man in a lab coat came up to him.

"Hello, Cedric. I am Professor Elm. I am sorry that this happened to you on a day like today too." He held out a case containing three Pokéballs. "Since you, your friend, Beck, and my protégé, Adeline are the only three starting your adventure today, both of them decided that you should pick yours first." Cedric's stomach turned with fear, which surprised him. The thought of going on a Pokémon journey right after being nearly killed filled him with terror.

"I don't have to start right now do I?" Professor Elm laughed aloud.

"My boy, even if you wanted to you couldn't. The doctors said that you'll have to delay your journey at least a month to let you recover. By you not wanting to go right away, it's very wise." The Professor's praise made Cedric feel at ease. He smiled and his stomach twisted with excitement this time as he reached for the Ball that contained Cyndaquil.

"Wait." Both Cedric and Professor Elm turned their heads to the door. Cedric's mom was standing in the doorway with her hand hovering above her open mouth. Gathering up her will, she closed the door behind her and walked up next to Elm. "I had been thinking for a while now and…" She looked at Cedric with regret and fear in her eyes. "and I've decided to forbid Cedric to get his Pokémon License until he turns 15." The air was sucked from Cedric's lungs. No Pokémon License until… UNTIL THREE YEARS FROM NOW?! Professor Elm nodded.

"I understand." He said as he shut the case with the Pokémon with a *click*. "I'll give you two some privacy." Professor closed the door as he exited the room. Cedric's mouth moved trying to find the right words. His mom knelt beside his bed and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Please listen to me. This is what I was trying to tell you this morning. Your father and I were talking…" Cedric didn't comprehend any words being said. Tears stung at his eyes as he looked at his mother in betrayal. He didn't care what the reasoning was. He didn't care if he was taken to the edge of his life just a few hours ago. His mom, the person who is supposed to love him with all her heart was taking his life away!

"No." The thought of not going was indescribable. "I'm going. I _have_ to. Beck's going and Adeline and we're going to be the best Pokémon trainers anyone has ever seen and we're - we're." He looked at his mom. "You can't do this. It's not fair. You're taking my life away!" Cedric's mom looked at him with concern.

"Cedric, you almost _died_ today. The doctors said you were very lucky to not have any serious injuries. I'm not sure if you or I am ready for this."

"But mom we have plans!" His mother gave Cedric a stern look.

"Cedric. No more buts. My word is final." "But-!" "Do know what me to keep you at home until you're 18?" Cedric's panic faded as the finality settled in and replaced it with frustration and indescribable wrath. "I hate you." The sorrow in Cedric's mom's eyes didn't compute in Cedric's rage-blinded mind.

"I know."

Adeline came in a few minutes after Cedric's mom left with hidden tears. She walked to the edge of the bed in silence. She stood by the bedside for ages.

"So," she started hoarsely. "Your mom said you won't be going on your journey." Cedric's face was stony. He shook his head.

"She didn't even let me pick…" Adeline leaned down and gave him a comforting hug.

"It's okay, Cedric. Sometimes it's worth it to be patient. Think of the time you will have as preparation; training if you will. Take this time to learn everything there is to know about Pokémon and battling and breeding and everything there is to know about Pokémon. You seem like a smart, hard-working guy and if you strive to be the greatest, if that's what you really want, then you will achieve your goal." Cedric breathed a steadying sigh. It would take a lot of hardship and patience, but Adeline was right: if he did it right, when he started his journey he would be prepared and have a great advantage. Cedric pulled back from the hug and looked into Adeline's now comforting eyes. He had seen the spark of a new friendship.

"Thanks, Adeline." He smiled, despite the situation. "So is Beck going to come and give some encouraging words too?" Adeline immediately looked uncomfortable. She looked away.

"Well… Uh. You see…" Her head sagged. "Beck… already left." Cedric looked at her in confusion.

"Left? What do you mean…?" He haven't even seen Beck since the incident in the tall grass.

"He got his Pokémon and left to begin his adventure." 'He…left me?' Cedric and Beck had been buddies since he could remember.

"No!" Cedric jumped out of his bed and ran out of door.

"CEDRIC!" Adeline ran after him. He burst into the Lab lobby, where Professor Elm, Cedric's mother, and several other people were sitting and chatting. All heads turned towards Cedric as he burst into the room. He looked around for a brief moment, then rush towards the case containing the starter Pokémon. Jerking it open, he sank to his knees when he saw what was inside: two Pokéballs.

"Totodile is missing." He said to no one in particular. His mother knelt beside him and Adeline put a hand on his shoulder. "He didn't even say goodbye."


	2. Chapter 2

The doctors said he could go home in the morning, so Cedric was just sitting on the floor of the lobby, thinking about what he would have said to Beck in goodbye. He didn't really expect Beck to stay behind because he had to, but he couldn't help but hope. He just couldn't believe a friend as good as Beck would leave so abruptly and without any hint of fellowship in his goodbye.

Something caught his eye. He stood and walked to the item by the garbage. It was a little red necklace, the red part being half of a Pokéball. He touched the trinket hanging on his neck. He pulled around his head and held it up next to the found necklace. The red half fit perfectly with his white half, making it read "Friends forever." He sat there for hours with the completed Pokéball in his hands. Many things happened that day: getting mauled by a Furret, having his Pokémon license revoked, but the most painful one was the end of a lifelong friendship. Cedric got to his feet, tossed the necklaces into the waste basket and returned to his room.

In a room adjacent to the lobby, a Sentret was sleeping in a comfy floor bed. The slam of a door woke it up. How long it had been sleeping it did not know. It had been carried to this silent place by a fire-headed she-human. Yawning, it scurried from its sleeping place. It stumbled and a cry of pain and surprise escaped from it. Looking down, it saw the source of its pain: a bandaged stump where its right foreleg had been. It took a few minutes to moan in mourning, then it stood and limped to a light that was streaming from a crack in the wall. It went to investigate and found that a portion of the wall had swung open to reveal an entrance into another peaceful, bland room. It made its way to the middle of the room, not knowing where to go. It attempted to explore and jump up on the giant pedestals, but could not. It saw a container in an accessible area and went to it. It bumped its head against the sleek cylinder until it tipped to the ground and scattered intriguing items onto the floor. It sifted through the trash with its tail until it uncovered something interesting. It was a ball of ruby and ivory with human symbols etched into it. The Sentret immediately became attached to it, so it picked it up feverishly by the silver and gold chains that circled around it and limped back to its sleeping quarters.

A few months past and Cedric was enrolled in school. He got over what he was calling "Beck's betrayal." He was still depressed about the loss of a friend and a missed chance of a lifetime, but he was content. Cedric opened the door to Adeline's house in New Bark Town. Adeline had stayed behind with Cedric. He didn't know if it was sympathy, friendship, or that she was taking her own words of advice and prepare for her journey. Cedric and Adeline made a deal that he would go to school and she would learn everything she could from Professor Elm as his understudy. The two would come meet up at his or Adeline's house every day to exchange notes. Cedric told Adeline about the battle techniques and type classifications he had learned that day and Adeline showed Cedric the evolution and breeding notes she took from Professor Elm's lecture. After they chatted about their day and Adeline showed some sketches she drew of the Pokémon at the edge of the town.

"I want to watch you draw. Come on!" He grabbed her art supplies and led her down to the edge of town. Adeline ran to a stump and sat cross-legged on it, pencil to paper, waiting. Cedric sat at the edge of the stump, looking over her shoulder. He tried to start a conversation, but Adeline shushed him.

"You'll scare them away." She whispered. After a few lagging minutes they heard a rustle. A Hoothoot bounced out of the grass sleepily. Adeline drew some lines, then erased them. She drew the shape of the Hoothoot's body then carefully and slowly marked where the eyes were. The Hoothoot pecked at the ground. There was the snap of a pencil tip snapping, Adeline cursed and the Hoothoot flew away. Adeline sighed. "I guess I'll have to draw the rest from memory…" She turned around at Cedric. "What are you laughing at?" Cedric was bent over. He couldn't stop laughing.

"I… don't… think… that scenario... could have been… played out more perfectly than that." She punched him, which made him start laughing all over again. He wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"I didn't know you were capable of cursing."

"Neither did I." They both shared a laughed.

The water tasted fresh and good. It wet its throat and satisfied its belly. The reflection of white and crimson light danced in the rippling water. A sound made it perk up. It was a loud, deep sound that filled its heart with warmth. It was a feeling it hadn't felt before. Curious about the source of the sound, it crept, a little at a time, towards the source. Keeping its ears perked it made its way through the lush green grass. Every blade that touched it made it be more soothed. Its nose twitched with new scents as it reached a tall stump. Two humans, like the ones that took its leg, were sitting. It sat down and listened to the rich sound that seemed to radiate from their hearts and souls. It wanted to make that sound.

Their laugh was interrupted by a shrill, chirping noise coming from behind. They both turned, startled, around at the source of the noise.

"A Sentret!" Adeline cried joyfully. She began feverishly scribbling in her book.

"Hey, whatcha got there?" Cedric asked it. He had noticed the ball hanging from its neck. "Hey… That's…" Adeline stopped drawing and touched Cedric's arm.

"Cedric, look, its missing a leg." Indeed it was. The stump looked healed, but out of place.

"That thing it's wearing used to be Beck's and mine. It was our friendship necklace we got when we were kids." Adeline reached out her hand cautiously. The Sentret sniffed at her hand curiously. It nuzzled her and walked up to the two. "There was a Sentret at the lab that day." Cedric said. He picked the Sentret up and cradled it in his arms. He gently touched the stump of its right leg and it whimpered. "Just like that day…" Cedric said. "but it didn't have its leg amputated, right? I just broke it." Adeline was in a daze.

"Professor Elm said it had a serious infection and that if we didn't bring it in when we did, it would have been incurable." She looked at Cedric. "This is that Sentret and you saved its life." Cedric thoughtfully touched the ball around the Sentret's neck and it growled a bit.

"So that's where it went to, huh?" He told it. "Maybe it's fate you found it. It looks like you're our new friend!" Adeline stood up.

"Let's bring it back to my house! We can feed it there and then let it go where it likes." Cedric stood with the Sentret still in its arms and they walked off towards home.

Adeline walked through the door to Cedric's house.

"Hello Mrs. Waldron." Cedric's mom looked up from the book she was reading.

"Hello, Adeline! How was your day, dear?" Adeline smiled politely.

"It was fine, thank you. The Professor let me analyze some of his injured Pokémon." Mrs. Waldron marveled at her.

"That's great, dear! I never thought Frank would let anyone other than himself examine his Pokémon." Adeline fiddled with her hands.

"Well it was only because every time he tried to get close to that Croconaw of his, it tried to take a finger off!" Her hand went to her arm, where under the sleeve was a bandage. She would have to work on her friend-making skills.

"Well, Cedric's up in his room reading his textbook again. It was nice seeing you, dear."

"Thanks, Mrs. Waldron!" Adeline said as she started to climb the stairs. She glanced behind her to see if it was still there. It was, but it had a hard time climbing the stairs. "C'mon, you." She picked up the Sentret with a grunt and carried it upstairs. Cedric's door creaked a little when she opened it. She walked over to the bed where Cedric was reading. She placed a finger on the book in his face and pushed it down. "Sup." She said. Cedric looked up from his book.

"Hey ya." He looked at the Sentret in Adeline's arms.

"Look you followed me here." She scratched its ears, making it smile. "After we fed it and you left, it came back and wouldn't leave!" Cedric scratched The Sentret's belly.

"Hey there, little guy." Cedric stood up from his bed. "You know, if it's going to be following us around, we should give it a name!" Adeline frowned.

"Cedric, you know we're not allowed to have any Pokémon." Cedric walked over to his whiteboard on the wall.

"But that only counts if we capture it in a Pokéball." He picked up a marker. "Technically it's not ours unless it's in a Pokéball." He wrote on the board 'Names.' And underlined with in red. "So…" He shoved his face into the Sentret's.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" He said mockingly. Adeline giggled.

"This Sentret is a female." The Sentret seemed somewhat aware of what was going on and looked overjoyed to be given a name, jingling its ball around.

"How about… Elpis?" Adeline and Sentret made a face.

"Elpis?" She asked. Cedric wrote the name on the board.

"Yeah. It's supposed to mean 'Hope' in… something." The Sentret shook its head.

"Then why don't you just name is Hope?" Adeline asked sarcastically. Cedric wrote 'Hope' on the board under 'Elpis.' Adeline held out the Sentret, examining it.

"I always liked the name Millie…" Cedric wrote 'Millie' on the board reluctantly. "Ok… anything else?" After a few minutes of suggesting and rejecting names, Cedric had an idea.

"How about…" He wrote on the board 'Mellon.' Adeline gave him a skeptical look.

"Melon?" Cedric smiled.

"No. It's Mellon. Like May-On. You know how some languages pronounce double L's like a Y?" Adeline gave an "uh-huh". "Well. Mellon means 'friend' in some lost language. And since she became our acquaintance through the beginning of our friendship, we should call her that!"

'And the end of Beck's and your friendship too.' Adeline thought, but she was already warming up to the name. "Okay. Let's call her Mellon!" She looked at Mellon, who seemed to consider the name and gave something like a shrug. "Nice to meet you, Mellon!"


	3. Chapter 3

Some time past since they got Mellon. She had been a good pet and companion to the two. Cedric's mom was a little iffy about letting Mellon stay, but she grew attached to her quickly. One day, Adeline was over for dinner and the family plus Adeline and Mellon were gathered around the T.V. watching some Pokémon League News.

"Here I am in Blackthorn City." The reporter was saying. "Where a young Pokémon trainer is challenging Gym Leader Clair for his last Pokémon League Gym Badge!" The scene moved to an arena in huge lava filled room.

"Hey look, Adeline. The floor's lava." Adeline punched Cedric.

"Shut up." There was a tall woman with blue hair standing on one end of the arena. She held herself with pride and confidence.

"Challenging Clair is Pokémon Trainer Beck Vancouver from New Bark Town!" Adeline gasped in surprise.

"I can't believe it!" She exclaimed.

"I know." Cedric mumbled. "They got his hometown wrong." Cedric's mom snickered at that. The camera showed a boy who looked like Beck, but wasn't. His black-green hair was greasy and messed up. His face was covered in dirt and it looked like he'd gone through Hell to get there.

"He's on his eighth gym badge. Quite impressive." His clothes looked newly bought. An aviator jacket covered his maroon shirt and teal jeans overlapped his hiking boots.

"You think he could take a bath if he could afford those clothes." Cedric observed. Seeing Beck brought some bitter feelings to his gut.

"Shh. It's starting!" The camera was on Clair. She reached for a Pokéball and threw it to the middle of the field. A light dispersed from the ball, forming into a huge serpent.

"Clair sent out Dragonair!" The camera was on Beck now, who pulled out his own Pokéball and threw it.

"Oh! It's a Skarmory!" The steel bird spread its steel wings and cawed. The referee indicated the battle to start. Cedric saw Clair barking out commands to her Dragonair. Waves of energy came off of the Pokémon and shot towards Skarmory. "It's Thunder Wave!" The reporter announced. "Now Beck's Skarmory will be paralyzed." The Skarmory struggled to fly into the air, but dove at the dragon, its wings shining. "Skarmory's using Steel Wing!" Dragonair went flying at the impact. The whole room gasped as it fell into the lava.

"Don't worry." Cedric said. "Fire doesn't hurt Dragons much." Dragonair leapt from the lava. Clair must have issued a command because the Dragonair was charging up an attack. "Beck's in trouble." Cedric observed, knowing what was coming.

"It's a Fire Blast from Dragonair!" The reporter exclaimed. Beck yelled for Skarmory to dodge, but it was paralyzed. The attack hit head on and Skarmory was out cold. "It's a KO from Dragonair. What will Beck sent out next?" A flash went off and a Jolteon appeared.

"Should have saved that Jolteon…" Cedric knew the Gym Leaders' patterns and Jolteon could've been used for later.

"Cedric, SHH!" Adeline shushed him.

"Jolteon has used Thunder!" The wicked lightning struck Dragonair, making it faint. "Clair has sent out her other Dragonair!" Beck Jolteon attempted to hit it with Thunder again, but missed. The Dragonair Slammed into Jolteon, but it retaliated with Shadow Ball. 'Smart to teach Jolteon Shadow Ball,' Cedric thought, 'but he's only attacking. He needs to use status moves as well.' A Dragon Pulse finished Jolteon off and Beck threw another Pokéball.

"Look, Cedric! It's his Starter!" It was Feraligatr. Cedric's eyes brightened.

"Cool." He said to himself. The Feraligatr Slashed at Dragonair, but missed. The Slam from Dragonair didn't do much damage.

"Feraligatr should know an Ice move." Cedric said. Slash again. Slam again. "Darn it, Beck! Use Ice Fang or something!" There he goes. Ice Fang. The air around the Feraligatr's jaws steamed with cold. It lunged and bit down on the Dragon Pokémon. Dragonair fainted and Cedric's hands went up in irritation. "Thank you." He noticed his mom and Adeline were looking at him. "What?" He asked. "Everyone knows that Ice is the main weakness to Dragon."

"No they don't, honey." "Oh." Another flash of light and a Gyarados was on the field.

"Oh my!" The reporter exclaimed in awe and fear. 'This is where Beck's Jolteon would've come in handy. Hopefully he'll have another Electric type or something.' The Gyarados used Dragon Rage which damaged Feraligatr pretty good. The Feraligatr Crunched on its enemy's body. The Gyarados shook it off and shot it down with a Dragon Pulse. Beck returned the fainted Pokémon to its Pokéball and sent out a Heracross, who used Take Down. It was caught up in a Twister from Gyarados.

"Why doesn't Clair use a flying attack?" Adeline asked. "It would hurt Heracross badly because its Bug _and_ Fighting type." Cedric thought.

"I think, unlike Pokémon Trainers, Gym leaders only use a moveset of four attacks. I think it's supposed to restrict their crazy power or something. Gyarados knows Twister, Dragon Rage, and Dragon Pulse, which leaves one more attack with I guess isn't a Flying type attack." Heracross fainted after a Dragon Pulse and Beck sent out a Pupitar. Gyarados used Bite against Pupitar.

"I guess it knows Bite too." Adeline said. 'It's foolish of Clair not to have any Flying type attacks or any Water type attacks, as Gyarados is a Flying/Water type…' Pupitar used a Dark Pulse against Gyarados.

"It's not a Dragon type, Beck." Cedric said to himself. "Hit it with a Rock attack." After the Dragon Rage from Gyarados, Pupitar was barely standing. It used Dark Pulse again. Cedric sighed in disappointment as Pupitar fainted.

"Only one Pokémon remains on Beck's team." A Donphan. Lovely. Cedric was relieved that Donphan used Rollout, but it didn't do much. The Gyarados used Twister. Rollout. Bite. Rollout. Gyarados was out. Cedric knew what was coming and he knew that Beck would lose. Out came Clair's final Pokémon.

"And here's Clair's mascot, Kingdra!" Donphan was at low health and Kingdra was faster. Even if Kingdra missed and Donphan's Rollout managed to hit it, it wouldn't faint the Kingdra and Beck would lose. 'He should just forfeit now and save his Pokémon the pain.' He wondered why Beck would put his Pokémon through this if there was no hope in winning. There it was: Kingdra's Hydro Pump! Donphan started its Rollout as the water shot towards it. It dodged the attack! It sped towards the Kingdra and slammed into it with huge force! It flew across the stadium and left an impact in the wall, then it fell into the lava.

"I - I can't believe it!" The reporter exclaimed in astonishment. "Donphan landed a critical hit and won the match!" Cedric's mouth hung open in awe and Clair was on her knees with Kingdra's Pokéball in her hands. Cedric could tell her defeat really struck a nerve in her pride.

"That was an invigorating battle!" The reporter went on. "With a huge comeback from Beck's Donphan, it fought till the last effort and won Beck's eighth and last gym badge!" Cedric saw Beck celebrating and was dancing around with his Donphan. That night, Cedric learned a lesson that would he would carry with him for the rest of his life: There is always hope in the most hopeless of situations.


End file.
